How to Blog Your Way to Local SEO Success, or Blocalling

Blogging is one of the top digital marketing strategies we recommend to grow your agency. Any insurance agent who visits the ITC blog often knows this. Blogging can result in ranking higher in the search engines, gains in website traffic, and more prospects.

But, today I'm going to reveal how to get more local traffic. The traffic you, the insurance agent, care about more than anything else. Most small insurance agencies want to sell insurance in their local city or the cities that surround their offices. Larger agencies don't mind going further afield, and they have the budget to do so.

So, let's get right to it. Let's blocal.

Who are you writing for?

First, figure out who you are writing for. If your agency focuses on non-standard auto insurance, then your audience is on the younger side, college-age students. If you focus on home insurance, then you may write for parents with children. If you focus on Medicare, then your audience is the tech-savvy senior citizen, or their adult children.

You likely write more than one type of insurance. So, you can write more than one type of blog post. But once you've determined your target audience and customer, it's easier to start writing.

When should you blog?

You should know when to blog because you've made a schedule. Make a blogging schedule and stick to it, like the dedicated, marketing-oriented insurance agent you are.

Consistency is key in SEO, and it is key in blogging too. If you know you won't be able stick to your schedule, get help. Delegate some of the writing or research to other employees. You may find they have a talent for it, which means it isn't work anymore. And, they will be glad to help.

And now to the local part...

Review local business

Do you have a favorite restaurant or boutique in your local area? Do you love them to bits? Then why not write about them. Tell us why you love them. Add some pictures or video if you want. If you know the owner personally, you could even include a picture of the both of you. If you know the owner really well, you could ask that they post this review on their own website with a backlink to yours.

In essence, you've just written a very long testimonial for them. And who doesn't love a long testimonial? If the business is part of a hobby of yours, perhaps turn it into a series. You could review these types of business every month. This way you could potentially get a backlink every month. You could also get a dedicated readership every month.

Interview local figures

Everybody knows somebody who's famous, to a degree. Some examples include local politicians, local chefs, local business owners, community leaders and artists. Perhaps you could get a 15-minute interview with them. Ask them questions about their jobs, their lives. Perhaps even throw in an insurance related question.

The article will be interesting to your readers because they are part of the community. The interviewee, however, would also be flattered into sharing the article to all of their friends and family, thereby expanding your reach.

Top five lists

I love lists. I make lists for everything. Favorite male vocalists. Favorite music videos... Oh wait, this isn't that type of blog. But, you could make top five lists specifically with your audience in mind.

What are the top restaurants for couples on a budget? What are the top parks for families on a Sunday afternoon? What are the top community centers for senior citizens to meet others like them? Sure, it'll take some research, but in the end, I believe it's worth it. And, everybody loves lists. Including me.

FAQs

Keep an ear out for frequently asked questions from customers. Keep a notepad on your desk with all the questions you hear, and maybe even get your CSRs and agents to do the same.

If you notice a trend, you should write a blog about it. You’ll already have a built in audience for that blog post. Think outside the box too. Did you discover a secret the last time you went downtown? Turns out there's a trick to the local transportation system. You could write a blog about that too.

Aggregated content

Perhaps one of the easiest types of blogs to post. You simply gather information from other places and put them all together in your article. In this case, you can opt for the more research-heavy type of blog post. What are the best decorating tips for new homeowners? What are the best maintenance tips for classic car owners? What are the best local hotspots to get a truly authentic flavor?

There are many ways to cater to your local market. This is just the tip of the iceberg. I will be discussing more strategies and ideas on how to appeal to your local audience in our next Masters of Marketing webinar taking place on Thursday, December 20th at 12:00 p.m. CT. So if you enjoyed this, and want to learn more, register for my webinar, and let's Blocal.

About the Author

Darmini Kara performs search engine optimization (SEO) tasks for ITC’s customers, including blogging, keyword research, backlink building, social media management, onsite optimization and some online marketing. She has a bachelor’s of arts in arts and technology from the University of Texas at Dallas. Darmini’s specialties include organic and local SEO, Google Analytics and Search Console, website design, and social media.